What Nobody Knows
by Miqila
Summary: The members of Team Autumn care for their team mates, protecting each other without hesitation, but the trust between them isn't perfect. Each of them have secrets that they haven't told anyone else, their young minds doubtful of what people would think if they knew.
1. Shishigaki Ran

**Disclaimer: I don't own 7 Seeds or its characters.**

 **A.N: This is collection of... drabbles? Short stories? About Team Autumn and their secrets that they never told anyone else. Some of them might make more sense in canon than the others, but I try not to be too unrealistic or out of character (except maybe with Karita... depends on how people see him.)**

 **Please note that I follow the English translation of 7 Seeds, so there might be some mistakes if something relevant has been revealed in the story that hasn't been translated yet. Also, if you want to ask or say something, please avoid anything that could give spoilers past the English translations.**

 **Shishigaki Ran...**

...Is a bisexual. It is a secret well kept, one that was never disclosed to anyone even in the past. At times she wonders if it had been better to let the world know. If people had known, she most likely would not have been sent to the future. The people in charge of the 7 Seeds –project wouldn't have taken the risk that she'd take interest in women instead, of that she was now pretty sure. Really, if only she had opened her mouth back then and "come out of the closet" she might have been able to live in the modern world until the end, doing what she loved, even if it had risked her and her family's reputation.

...But had that been the case, Ran would never have met _her_.

As annoying as the younger woman could be, Nijiko had earned Ran's respect. She was stubborn and reluctant to accept any advice, but she was skilled and did her job passionately, not just because it was what she had to do. That was something Ran could appreciate. And she also appreciated the woman's good looks, but that was something she'd never admit out loud to anyone. Not that she'd give a damn about her image here; the others could think whatever they wanted about her, but the younger woman herself was the problem. Since Summer A had been taught from young age that their purpose was to rebuild and repopulate Japan, she doubted they'd ever heard terms like "homosexuality" or "bisexuality." Heck, the subject had been more or less a taboo among _normal_ people in Japan, much less people like the ones in Summer A. As far as she knew, Nijiko was determined to fulfill her duty, even if she wasn't as vocal about it as the rest of her team. Not that she was vocal about anything else, either. In any case, that ruled out the possibility of Nijiko ever showing any romantic or sexual interest in her, that much Ran knew.

Not that she really cared; she didn't need a life partner after all. They all had more important things to do... well, aside from Haru, it seemed; the musician was perfectly smitten with the flying Summer A girl. Had she been a fan of sappy romance stories, watching the two of them would have been very entertaining... now that she thought of it that was probably why Kurumi didn't mind their company. She was a bit of a romantic after all.

"...And we could build storage over there and- are you even listening to me?" Ran looked at Nijiko, her slightly annoyed tone brining her out of her thoughts. Not that her annoyance showed; the girl's face was as blank as ever.

"Sorry, what did you say again?" Ran said. Nijiko didn't snap at her or anything for not paying attention, but the look in her eyes pretty much said "Are commoners unable to listen?" as she repeated what she had said. This time Ran listened, giving her own input to the subject, one that Nijiko naturally disagreed with. Not out of arrogance or because it came from her, that much Ran knew by now, but simply because she really did disagree. They had come to the point where they _wouldn't_ annoy each other just for the sake of it, but both tried to best the other every chance they got. Subtly, of course. There was no reason to be childish about the matter. That was something Ran had a hard time remembering at night when everyone were gathered around the fire and Nijiko brought up her new plans, openly criticizing them in front of everyone.

In front of her team.

Ran wasn't a petty person who couldn't take criticism or had to always be right, but there were certain lines that she did not want to be crossed. This was one of them; architecture was something she excelled in, something no one in her team had ever questioned. Not even Akio, a professional of his own whom, despite always giving his own input, did not question her decisions. But Nijiko did. Always, if she saw even the smallest reason to do so. It was irritating, yet so comforting at the same time. After all this time, there was someone who dared to question her, to say _no_ without hesitation. It brought a sense of normality she hadn't had since she took charge of Team Autumn, and it made her feel relieved. She supposed that was another reason she felt attracted to Nijiko.

An attraction she could never voice out, but that was fine; she had never been one for all the sentimental crap anyway. As long as they could stay here, continue their way of life, together, she'd be satisfied. After all, it was more than what she would have dared to ask for in the old world.

 **A.N: I think that Ran could be an easy character to write if I looked at her from some other character's perspective, but this was surprisingly hard. I don't know whose chapter is next, but everyone in Team Autumn will get their own (aside from Izayoi.) Look forward to it!**


	2. Haza Akio

**A.N: This chapter contains spoilers up to… chapter 114? Give or take a few. If for some reasons you aren't there yet, read at your own risk.**

 **Haza Akio…**

...Is a traditional man who, in the past, looked forward to meeting his fiancé, Taiami Chisa. At that time all he had wanted was the normal life of a normal Japanese man, if not a little more successful than that.

Yet what did he get?

A life where he had to work day in and day out just in order to stay alive, in a world where none of the things he'd accomplished meant anything. He no longer had his business, his subordinates or an upcoming marriage with a good family's daughter. All of that had been taken away by someone and he had been told nothing. He hadn't been as bitter as his friend Ran, but even he cursed his faith and the people who put him in this situation, whoever they were.

And now, well over three years after he'd awaken in this hell, he was face to face with the granddaughter of the man who had included him in this project: his fiancé.

At first he had wondered what had brought it up as Hana suddenly asked if he had had a fiancé. The ear to ear grin she had had on her face when he had answered that he did had been mildly disturbing, making him wonder if he really even wanted to know why she brought it up. But he had wanted to know and so, he had asked. And Hana had dragged him off to meet one of her team mates, one that he'd seen a time or two but not really paid any attention to her, and introduced her as Taiami Chisa.

And here he was now, staring at his fiancé, speechless.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, I am Taiami Chisa" the brunette says with a bow "You must be Haza Akio-san. I have heard so much about you."

From the corner of his eye Akio can see Hana and the black haired woman, Fujiko he thinks her name was, eyeing them with interest, but he ignores it as his mind is set on something else, for he finally understood. It all made sense to him now.

He had been sent here because he was _her_ fiancé. They had all talked about it when Hana's connection to the project had been revealed, yet he hadn't given it much thought, but now it was so easy to see: he was here because of nepotism, plain and simple. Taiami Chisa's grandfather, his mentor, had been a highly respected minister with a lot of power. So much that he had managed to include his granddaughter _and_ her fiancé into the project.

He was here because of the Taiami family, because of _her_.

…

No, he must not think like that; that was Summer A's way of thinking. Her family might have been at fault, especially her grandfather, but none of this was her fault. That was a road he couldn't and wouldn't go down. He refused to do so.

"…Yeah, I am" he finally realized to say, hoping it hadn't taken too long "I heard a lot about you from your grandfather, as well."

And he was the one Akio felt bitter towards, not that there was anything he could do about it anymore. Minister Taiami was dead, and the young man and the woman he had been supposed to marry had no choice but to deal with the situation the politician had put them in.

No matter if they liked it or not.

 **A.N: This came out lot shorter than I expected… all of these will probably end up being pretty short. I don't know whose chapter will be next, but it won't be Ryuusei's. That guy is the only one I don't have an idea for yet.**


	3. Karita Hazuki

**Karita Hazuki…**

…Carries a heavy burden on his heart. He used to take dance lessons, which is how it all started. It hadn't been his own idea; he got dragged on to those lessons at the age of fourteen by a girl his age. The girl was the granddaughter of his father's important business partner, which was the reason his father wanted him to get along with her. And when the loud child asked him to join her, he didn't really have a choice but to accept. And as unmanly as his father thought dancing was, he didn't complain about it either. Whatever helped with his business was fine.

But what Hazuki's father didn't know was that his son actually enjoyed the hobby. He enjoyed it a lot, just like the company of the girl who had dragged him there in the first place. The same couldn't be said about his old-fashioned father who thought women should be seen but not heard. In his opinion Hazuki's friend was too loud and blunt, especially for a girl, but he kept his mouth shut for the sake of his business. After all, his business partner absolutely adored the said granddaughter, expecting a lot from her future.

Another thing his father didn't know was just how much Hazuki liked the girl. At first, he had only spent time with her out of politeness and because he knew that was what his father wanted. It was weird really; such loud and blunt people weren't usually the kind of company he enjoyed, not that he knew a lot of people like her in the first place. And yet somehow, he slowly ended up liking her, admiring her-

…Loving her.

As rude as she first seemed, Hazuki soon learned she was just clumsy. And while she did get upset over the most ridiculous things, it didn't take a lot to get that bright smile that Hazuki loved to break out on her face. At the age of sixteen, he loved her, and he wanted her to know. As sappy as it was, he wrote a love letter he meant to give to her.

But before he could, something happened.

A misunderstanding, a huge mistake on his part. He should've known better. He should've known the kind of person she was, what she could and couldn't forgive. Yet he didn´t, and that's how he ended up hurting her. After noticing his mistake, he tried to apologize, he really did, but she wouldn't listen. Hazuki's heart broke, yet it wasn't the end of it. Things were about to get much worse.

One day, when he was still thinking about how to apologize, his parents broke the news about future. His future, the one he'd be sent to one day. At first, he hadn't understood what they were saying at all. Then, he thought it was a joke. But when it finally hit him that what they said was true, all kind of thoughts filled his head. He'd protested about going, but his parents had gotten him to give in quickly, for he was, in the end, weak willed.

… His friend had, quite bluntly, always called him a suck up. He was too busy making others to like him to actually think on his own is what she always said. At that point, he couldn't help but wonder if she'd been right about that.

He didn't think about her more than that.

Not until he got to the future, as a member of Team Autumn.

It came to him one night when they all lay around a fire and he was unable to fall asleep. Two of the girls in his team had been dancing in the moonlight, trying to lift up the mood, and it had brought _her_ to his mind. Her dances had been far more beautiful, but it still happened. At first, he recalled the good times, yet as he realized he had never been able to properly apologize, regret washed over him like a tidal wave.

He should've made her listen. When she walked off he should've gone after her. When she slapped him, he should've taken her hand and not let go before she listened. When he went to her house and her mother told him she didn't want to see him he should've stayed until she did. He should've kept trying to call her so long that she'd eventually pick up the phone.

But he hadn't done any of that. Why was that again? He wasn't sure anymore. He wasn't sure about anything anymore.

As years passed and he watched two of his team mates slowly falling in love with each other, he wondered if _he'd_ ever find love again, not that anyone could replace _her_.

After getting a beating from Ran once again, he made a decision. To honor the memory of the girl, the young woman he once loved, he would change. He wouldn't get pushed around by other people anymore. It would be hard and it would take a while, but he'd do it.

He has to do it.

 **A.N: Out of all seven, this one is going to be the one that'd be least likely to be canon, but I wanted to write it regardless. As for the girl Karita was in love with, she was an OC. One that I might use in a separate, longer 7 Seeds fic one day. We need more 7 Seeds stories after all, and we definitely need at least one with an OC as a main character and if no one else will do it then I will! …And even if someone else does I'll probably do, too.**


	4. Nashimoto Akane

**Nashimoto Akane…**

…Was fed up with diving. As a child, she had loved it. Loved the feeling of water on her skin, loved the sights under the surface, loved the feeling of accomplishment when she brought home a big haul, but now she was absolutely tired of it.

As a child, she had gotten lot of praise from other divers, as did her grandmother for "teaching her so well." And being one of the youngest divers, she still did. Lot of the older divers complained about their lazy children and grandchildren, who had no passion for diving. Who had taken off to do something else entirely. When Akane was a child, she had agreed with the elderly, thinking these people were very stupid. Now, she aimed to be like them.

While the elderly still liked to dive and made a living with it, things changed. She wouldn't be able to make a living with diving the way they did. Small companies and people who dove everything up on their own already had a hard time; divers like them would probably run out of business and their lifestyle would die out before she turned thirty. Financial wise, it was not a good plan for future.

But that was only part of the reason Akane wanted to leave the world of diving behind.

Like the older people said, the new generation had no interest in diving, but there was also no _respect._ Among other kind of professionals, divers had started to get the reputation of hicks, especially in her age group. While Akane was a person of high self-esteem, she was still a teenager. Jabs about her family's profession did get to her. She had started to think that the job as a diver wasn't for her, and she wanted out. She told everything to her parents, which resulted in lot of yelling and insults from her mother and silent disapproval of her father. Her grandmother on the other hand, well… Akane couldn't really read her. She was quieter than usually, but nothing else gave away that she even knew of the argument. Yet, one day, she said: "You will have the chance to shape your future in to whatever you want."

Akane asked what she meant, but the older woman spoke no more. Three days later, she woke up in a new place, among new people.

" _You will have the chance to shape your future in to whatever you want."_

Was this what her grandmother had meant? That would mean she knew about the 7 Seeds -project and had approved sending her here.

Would she have done so if Akane had just kept her mouth shut? Could she have stayed with her family to the end without that argument?

In the end, she decided not to think about it. She couldn't; it'd just depress her more. She would just have to survive in this life that had changed forever. Giving up was out of question.

Of course, in order to _not_ give up she and the others needed food. Luckily, they were by the sea. Unlike the others who had rolled their pants up and tried to find something from the shore, Akane took off her sweater and pants, diving straight in. She could vaguely hear someone yelling at her to come back, but she kept going anyway. She was good at this; she'd be back soon enough.

She found a lot of clams, but the fact that she couldn't recognize them bothered her. Some were familiar, but unlike before at home, she couldn't say with utmost certainty what was what. Had they changed that much?

As she surfaced and swam back to the beach, Akane saw all the others waiting for her. She got scolded by their guide, Izayoi-san, but there didn't seem to be any power behind his words, like he was uncertain if he should be scolding her in the first place or not.

"Sorry" she apologized anyway "I just thought that since everyone else were on the beach I could go and check things a bit further away."

"So, did you find anything?" one of the guys, Ryuusei-kun if she recalled correctly, asked. Akane scoffed; she was carrying a bag that was half full, of course she did! Barely managing to keep herself from snapping at him, she opened the bag and showed everyone her haul.

"That's quite catch" a man said. She could remember that his name contained the word "Autumn" in it, but was it Akira or Akio?

"You're good" Ran-san, she hoped she remembered the name right, said "Say, would you count diving as one of your specialties?"

Akane didn't consider herself an arrogant person, but facts were facts. Smiling a little, she said: "Definitely."

Everyone seemed impressed and while Akane didn't like to be the center of attention, it made her happy. Diving had not been appreciated in the old world, but she had a feeling that that certainly wouldn't be the case in this new one. She could do this, she could live in this world. She would not give up.

Her skills were needed.

 **A.N: If the ending seems a bit OOC for someone from team Autumn, please note that it takes place around their first weeks in the future. As Akio tells Natsu and the others: "The first week you think it's a dream. The second week you think you're in trouble. After one month, you think you won't give up yet. After half a year you think it might be better to give up. After one year you wonder if you should die." And after three years they're the bitchy tough group we know.**


	5. Yamaki Sakuya

**A.N: Something to make understanding this chapter a little easier:** _ **prosopagnosia**_ **is a state where the person who has it has difficulty remembering faces, both of those they've just met and of those who they've known for years. People with prosopagnosia often have trouble recognizing even people who are very familiar to them if they meet them in an unexpected place or if their appearance has changed from the last time the person has seen them. Prosopagnosia can be caused by brain damage or a person can be born with it like Sakuya in this story. Apparently, it can also develop in early childhood. I've only studied the subject out of personal interest and need, so I am no expert. If you're interested in more information on the matter, just google "prosopagnosia."**

 **Yamaki Sakuya…**

…Has prosopagnosia. It was something his parents understood when he started school, yet chose to keep under tight lid. No one was to know of their son's abnormality. They wanted their son to be completely normal in the eyes of the society or, if they managed to bring him up properly, _above_ what was considered normal. Sakuya was smart after all; no one could deny that. Genius even; his photographic memory helped him learn the kanji and so many other things at a stunning rate. It was ironic, really, that the seven-year-old who could remember the amount of kanji that was normally known by a twelve-year-old couldn't recognize a single classmate of his outside of the school grounds. Meaning he never said hi to them, for he mistook them for strangers. That, of course, made him seem arrogant. It was no secret that Sakuya was a child genius, so in the minds of his peers, the idea that it might have gotten to his head made sense. The teachers and other children's parents also seemed to think this way and Sakuya's parents knew it, but did nothing to fix it. They told Sakuya not to do so, either. It was better to come across as arrogant than to let people know he was faulty, they said. And he did as he was told, but that didn't change the fact that he wanted friends. So, he tried, he tried really hard to learn to remember the faces of his classmates. But it didn't work. When he finally realized to focus on their voices and style, it was too late. Now he could recognize people, but he already had a reputation that drew people away from him. He had lost his chance before he truly even got one.

Fortunately, when he went to fourth grade, Sakuya's family moved. For a normal ten-year old it would've probably been a shock, but Sakuya had no friends anyway so he didn't mind. And now that he got a fresh start, he put his recognition technique to use immediately. He memorized the names of his classmates immediately and then put extra care in to memorizing their style of dressing as well as their hair styles, not to mention seating and locker arrangements. The later ones only helped at school and he still made some mistakes, but not too much. Some liked to make jokes about his mistakes, but mostly they just took it as one of the genius' weird traits. His technique had worked.

Unfortunately, he couldn't use the same tactic in junior high school. In there, everyone had school uniforms and the rules on accessories were strict, so Sakuya couldn't use people's style to recognize them. He had seen this coming, so he had learned to rely on the way people speak, walk and other kind of mannerism in addition to the old trick of recognizing voices, but it wasn't nearly as foolproof as recognizing people from style. He got the reputation of an absentminded genius, and his parents didn't approve of the absent minded -part. They despised their son's weakness, to the point that they paid him countless of doctor and therapist visits so the problem could be fixed, but nothing helped. Sakuya had been born with it, and there was no known cure. All he could do was practice, but even that didn't guarantee him any results.

Sakuya never completed high school.

One day, in the middle of his third year, despite having gone to bed normally, he woke up in an unfamiliar place. Unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, not that he knew it at the time. Back then, he had first wondered if he knew these people, if they were just ones he had met long time ago or who had changed their appearances drastically. Listening to their voices, studying their mannerism and hearing the names of the few of them, Sakuya realized that that wasn't the case. He didn't know these people. It was only then that he started to worry: where was he?

When the man, Izayoi Ryoya is what he said his name to be, explained them where they were, Sakuya was shocked. If someone asked him later what he had felt when he heard where he had ended up, he couldn't have answered. The storm of emotions his guide's words had created in him was too strong for him to sort out any individual feeling. What he could remember was, even if it was vaguely, the sobbing of a woman, just a girl, really, the cursing of a man and Izayoi's own, uncomfortable face. There might also have been others in a state similar to his own. Or maybe not; Sakuya really couldn't say for sure.

As the shock started to wear off after a few days, their survival began. For once in his life, Sakuya could actually connect the names and faces of all the people around him. Izayoi, the only adult. Nashimoto, the only girl with short hair. Karita, the big and muscled man. Shikano, the girl with freckles and curly hair. Shishigaki, the woman with long, pitch black hair. Ogiwara, the ordinary looking young man who stood out among the others simply _because_ he looked so average compared to the others and Haza, calm and collected young man who seemed to be constantly in a bad mood.

As harsh as the future ahead of them seemed, Sakuya couldn't help but feel that something good came out of it. With only seven other people around him, each very different by appearance, there was no fear of mistaking one for another. For the first time in his life, Sakuya could face another human being without the fear of confusing them for someone else.

When Sakuya first catches a glimpse of the three people from Team Summer B, for a moment he mistakes the dark-haired boy for Ryuusei. Fortunately, he prevented himself from saying anything as he soon noticed from the way the man moved that it was, in fact, not his friend but a stranger. This made a fear that had stayed dormant for three years surface once more; what if these people stayed? Would that lead to mistakes in his part once more? Because of this fear he was extremely glad when the three just took off and left, for with them left his problem.

Then, they met the combination of Team Spring and Winter. It made Sakuya slightly uncomfortable, but fortunately it was just two guys and one girl. The girl had a style very different from his teammates, and the two guys, one clearly older than the other, looked nothing alike. He could handle it, he was sure. He could handle the rest of Team Spring too, was what he thought, yet he felt indescribable relief when they weren't where they were meant to be. For Sakuya, the less people the better, as long as there was just one person to accompany him.

They met Team Summer A. They already had before, but back then there was no chance or reason to try to get to know them. But now, he would have to remember who was who. There was also a child from Team Spring, but that wasn't a problem. The only child was easy to tell apart from the others. As for Summer A, it wasn't as hard as he originally thought: the way they moved separated them from everyone else; such grace and confidence was only found from the members of Summer A. And despite the fact that they all dressed the same, they could be told apart from each other by their hair; each of them had a very different style. Nijiko and Koruri both had boyishly short hair, but the later's was curly and light colored while the formers were straight and pitch black. If it weren't for the way Nijiko carried herself, Sakuya just might have mistaken her for Akane on occasion. Not that Akane wore Summer A clothing, but there was no guarantee Nijiko would wear them forever. There was also Ayu with her long, gorgeous hair. Sakuya had not seen a woman so beautiful in his life; she was easy to tell apart from others. The guys all looked very different, too. Ango was the only one with actually short hair, and even that was black _and_ white. If that didn't stand out enough Sakuya didn't know what did. Ryo's wavy, silver grey long hair stood out as well; he couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. Ban's hair was extremely curly and covered about a third of his face; he was easy to tell apart from the others. And Gengorou's hair was so straight and long that mistaking him for someone else was also impossible. Even if he cut it, Sakuya was convinced that he wouldn't mistake the man for someone else for his hair had a small blue tint to it that he recalled no one else having.

He had done it; he had learned to tell everyone apart from each other. Even the sudden appearance of a man named Mozu didn't bother him; one adult could easily be told apart from other people. However, as the man told he was a member of Team Summer B, the old, ugly fear started to raise its head again.

What would happen when he met the rest of Teams Summer B and Spring?

 **A.N: Phew, that was fun. Not in a I like to make Sakuya suffer -kind of way of course, more like I've been waiting to get this stuff out -kind of way. I realize that some of the things here might seem confusing, like Sakuya mistaking Arashi for Ryuusei, but that's just how prosopagnosia is; at times, it can be very confusing.** **I got the idea that Sakuya may have it when he told Hana (I think) that he had difficulty remembering faces despite his otherwise great memory. Prosopagnosia was simply the only logical explanation I could come up with for a trait like that. Of course, even if he does have it in canon it might not be as bad as I make it out to be here, but I also kind of wanted to pass on the information about it and on how much it can make people suffer. Also, I didn't include his meeting with the rest of Team Summer B and Spring because I follow the English translation and those haven't happened yet, so I kind of had a hard time imagining them. That and that was a good spot to end this chapter/one shot. I might write about his reaction to Hotaru and Hibari one day, though.**


	6. Shikano Kurumi

**Shikano Kurumi…**

…Had had some serious trouble with her family. Her parents were giving each other the silent treatment and, when not doing that, fighting. They knew she could hear them from the other room, their house was anything but soundproof, yet they didn't bother to even try to keep their voices down. They fought about money. They fought about household chores, about her sick grandmother, about _her_. Her education, her manners, who she should marry in the future, _everything_. She was sick of listening to it all. She didn't mind them planning out her life for her, not at this point. Now, she'd do anything her parents wanted her to as long as they could come to an understanding with each other. But at this point, even that seemed to be too much to ask.

Kurumi came from a family where everyone followed very traditional roles. Her father worked long hours, bringing in the money. Her mother was a housewife, doing the chores and cooking, taking care of the children and her husband's mother who also lived with them. Kurumi's grandmother was a little sickly, but as her mind was still as sharp as ever the status of the woman of the house remained with her. In the end, despite barely doing anything concrete for the family anymore, she was in charge. Kurumi could tell from young age that the old woman treated her mother poorly and that her father did nothing to stop her. Kurumi herself, however, was safe. She learned from early age how to please both her grandmother and her parents, thus she rarely got scolded or disappointed them.

And then there was her brother. Her brother, two years older than her, the heir to the name and their family. His happiness, education and life in general mattered much more to their parents than Kurumi's. He was a boy, after all. To their parents, it was very clear from the moment he was born that he'd inherit the house and continue the family line. In order to not embarrass their ancestors, the boy would have to grow in to a successful man that would marry a beautiful, perfect woman and have a perfect career. And that future was what their parents used most of their time and money dealing with.

Kurumi, the girl who'd eventually be married off and would become part of another family, was not as important. But of course, saying that out loud was the biggest taboo of them all. They had to keep up the appearances, to look like a perfect family to the society. A family with a hardworking husband, perfect wife who took care of the house and the children, silent and vice old woman and two smart, well behaved children who had brilliant futures ahead of them. That was what her parents wanted and, in the safety of their home, weren't afraid of making it known.

To Kurumi, this was the natural order of things. Kurumi, despite sometimes feeling bitter for having to live in the shadow of her brother, knew no other way of living. This was how they had always done things, this was how they should be done from now on as well.

Yet one day, it all changed. It was the day her mother changed- no, the day her mother finally became herself. She had had enough of the way her husband and mother in law treated her, gotten tired of playing the perfect wife… inside their house, that is. In the eyes of outsiders, they still seemed like the perfect family.

Despite having always known that there was some tension in her family, the fact that her mother finally brought it to light threw Kurumi off the track in one swoop. She had thought that the way their family handled things was the way things were meant to be; that it was the kind of life she'd eventually have for herself, too. Her mother was her role model, a goal, someone she had aimed to become like, yet it turned out that her mother was something else entirely. What should she do when she grew up? What kind of life was she supposed to build for herself when she grew up?

Kurumi was still wondering about these things when she was sent to the future.

In the future, just staying alive took all of her time and energy for a long time and, as hard as it sometimes was, she was fine with it. She didn't need to think about the problems of the old world anymore.

That is, until things settled down. When they did, she started to get to know the others better, including a young man named Ryuusei. They became close and fell in love with each other. She got pregnant. That was when Kurumi's old worries surfaced.

What kind of life would she live? What kind of role would she have to take in her new family? She knew she couldn't just blindly follow in her mother's footsteps; that kind of life style wouldn't work here. But what else was there? She would have to create something of her own, completely from a scratch, and she needed Ryuusei's help for it.

Too bad the man just couldn't take the hint.

Being her mother's daughter, Kurumi never learned to speak about her feelings properly. Her mother had, for years, kept her feelings in and let them bottle up. Kurumi knew that that wouldn't end well, but she followed her mother's example, for that was all she knew. She did open her heart a bit, but never to Ryuusei. Instead, she used her female friends, mostly Akane but a few times Hana, too. That helped her to keep her feelings in check.

But every dam breaks sooner or later.

On that day, it was just the two of them there. They were lost, tired and vulnerable. Ryuusei was about to do the opposite of what she wished for once again. She couldn't take it anymore; she let it all out. She told him about her family, about her feelings, about how she saw him, everything.

And then she cried. As did he. There they were, the young couple who'd soon become parents, crying their eyes out in a cave, not knowing where to go or what to do. But they weren't alone, for they could finally speak to each other properly. They would certainly face a lot of trouble in their life even after that day, but they would face those things together.

Things would work out.

 **A.N: This chapter ends where the scene with Kurumi and Ryuusei in chapter 151 does. To be honest I've never liked that scene; Kurumi's being way too unfair in that as well as some earlier scenes. While it's true that Kurumi's character mostly comes across as kind and caring, I'd say she's horrible to Ryuusei. Most likely not on purpose, but she's expecting too much of him and then complains to her friends when he doesn't do things the way she'd like him to do them. In the arc where they start living with Summer A, Ryuusei says that he'll do anything Kurumi asks for, yet she complains about why** _ **she**_ **has to think of everything. Now that wouldn't be a problem otherwise, but she says that to** _ **Hana**_ **and not** _ **Ryuusei**_ **who she** _ **should**_ **be telling it to. How hard can it be just to communicate properly? Actually, forget the properly -part, she didn't seem to put any effort at all in to communicating with him. She could've just** _ **said**_ **that she'd like it if Ryuusei came up with something on his own without her suggesting it or she could've asked him to think about things he could do** _ **together**_ **but no, Kurumi does none of that. She just expects Ryuusei to read her mind and then whines when he's not able to do so.**

 **Ugh, rant over. I suppose that's more or less typical teenage (or just immature) relationship thing, but it still makes me dislike Kurumi.**


	7. Ogiwara Ryuusei

**Ogiwara Ryuusei…**

…Wanted nothing else than to be happy. Before being sent to the future, he'd spent the last few years actively looking for something that would make him happy, make him feel accomplished and content. Of course, everyone aimed for happiness in their lives, but Ryuusei was more conscious of this goal than an average young man his age.

As a child, he had admired his hardworking father who was home next to never. Since the man was rather at work than at home, the little boy had assumed that it was something his father enjoyed very much. The fathers of his friends were pretty much the same, too: left for work early, came home late and repeated the same pattern the next day. To Ryuusei that was normal and, since his father was a strong and smart man, he believed that if his father didn't like it he wouldn't be doing it, much like house chores. His father didn't like chores, and Ryuusei never saw him do them, unless his mother was sick. Those times Ryuusei could see his father washing dishes or doing laundry despite clearly not liking it, but it still made sense in his mind. When the one who usually did the necessary things couldn't do them, someone else had to. It was logical, but other than that his father had no reason to do things he didn't like doing.

That was why it was a shock to him when his father had one day gotten home early and he heard the man complaining about his work to Ryuusei's mother. Apparently, his father didn't like the job he had at all. Hadn't liked about it for years.

That changed Ryuusei's view of his father. He was disappointed and ashamed. Now, if his friends started to talk about their fathers in school, the boy remained quiet. He was ashamed of his father who didn't have the guts to stop doing the things he didn't like and go find happiness. But as few years went by, Ryuusei realized that his father wasn't some kind of exception to the rules at all. In fact, most men he knew personally or through friends seemed to be in the same situation. This upset and confused Ryuusei, the boy who couldn't understand why people wouldn't do everything in their power to become happy.

Of course, little by little as he grew, Ryuusei came to know reality. He learned that no matter what one did, there would always be times when it was simply safer and easier to choose the less pleasant path. Such was life, and he noticed it became reality the older he got. So, at the age of fourteen, he decided to live the next six years to the fullest before he turned twenty and would be considered an adult, someone who had to put his happiness aside for the sake of responsibilities.

At the time his grades dropped a bit, but not alarmingly so. He didn't have one or two main hobbies like most of his classmates. Instead, he tried anything and everything a few times, not wanting to miss a thing while he was still young. He decided to just live day by day while he still could. Obviously, that meant not thinking about responsibilities too hard.

In the end, he got to live like this two and half years instead of the planned six.

Just before Ryuusei turned 17 he was sent to the future, having to take more responsibility about himself and others around him than he ever had considered he would have to do in his whole life. Needless to say, he was very upset about it, but he was no fool; he knew that he couldn't keep whining forever, that it was time to take on some responsibility if he wanted to survive. First few months were really hard, yet slowly but surely, he got used to the new lifestyle. Then, after a year and a half, they had built a permanent settlement and set strict routines. And as those routines set in, Ryuusei started to slide in to his old habits. Of course, he couldn't be nearly as irresponsible, but he decided to cut himself some slack.

Not everyone was happy with that.

While Ryuusei tried hard to balance between duty and the laid-back man he really was, he accidentally fell in love. It wasn't a bad thing and he didn't regret it, not even the fact that he got the woman pregnant, but it did bring a new sort of responsibility to his life. He tried to take proper care of the mother of his soon to be born child, but whatever he did just didn't seem to be enough. Not that Kurumi, the love of his life, complained. Not to his face at least, but he could tell she was disappointed in him. Why it upset him so, he didn't know. Bringing disappointment to people with his attitude was something he was used to after all.

And yet he didn't want to disappoint Kurumi.

Keeping balance between taking care of his responsibilities and the things he _wanted_ was hard, but he managed somehow. Kurumi's genuine, happy smiles, as rare as they were, made it all worth it.

That is why it really hurt when Kurumi pointed out all of his flaws in one go in that cave. It's not like she was wrong, not really, he was all she said he was, but the truth hurt, so much that it made him cry. And she cried, too.

When they finally calmed down, neither of them said anything. Ryuusei felt that whatever understanding they had just reached, he could easily break by saying the wrong thing. He didn't want that, for he didn't want to upset Kurumi again. He wanted to see her smile, see her be happy because that, Ryuusei now realized, was what made him happy, too.

From now on, he'd do all in his power to keep Kurumi and their future child happy because that would lead to the thing he had wondered about and searched for during all these years.

Her smile was the key to his happiness.

 **A.N: Okay, the ending might be a bit too sappy… as in ArashiXHana level sappy. Maybe a bit too sappy for these two… but who knows, maybe not. Maybe they worked things out in the end… I sure look forward to finding out despite not really caring for these two otherwise.**

 **In any case now that this is finished I'm still working on three longer stories on the site (I have lot of ideas, but I've decided not to publish more multichapter stories until I'm down to two unfinished ones on the site) so it will take some time before I post more longer 7 Seeds fics (I have a few ideas already) but I might post one shots if I get ideas. Also, if someone has someone or a pair from 7 Seeds in mind that they'd like to see a one shot about then let me know; I'll see what I can do. The fandom is so small and the fics so rare that we need to help each other out, no?**


End file.
